<p>Wow. I come down on different places in all parts of this discussion! I dont have a lot of time for a major back and forth right now and some of what Im about to say tends to lead to those, but where to start? LOL </p>
<p>First, I think its more than slightly over-the-top to suggest that stage moms on this forum are trying to advance the position of their own kids by discouraging someone from taking on mountains of debt to go to Tisch or anywhere else. I mean, come on It would make just as much sense to accuse someone of encouraging a kid to take on all that debt because it can seriously cripple a young actor (i.e. the competition) right out the gate. Ive seen it happen and I think gc03 who is also a working actor has said hes seen the same. Ill bet Soozs D has seen it as well. </p>
<p>As for the advantages of a BFA vs. a BA vs. a MFA vs. no degree at all, I think the only immutable truth in all that is that every actor is different and has different goals. I also think we tend to get things mixed up on this forum between the people with straight theatre, musical theatre and TV/Film mindsets and aspirations which are all completely different animals. Then theres the added confusion as to the different levels at which each is done. Hell, I made my Regional Theatre debut playing Shakespeare around six weeks after graduating from high school; but, needless to say, it wasnt at any place like the Guthrie or South Coast Rep </p>
<p>I would be curious to see the proof of significant numbers of under-30 actors with bare BA degrees working straight out the gate in high-end Regional Theatre playing anything approaching the major young roles of the classic stage. Im not out there doing that scene and dont plan on it anytime soon, but my information from people who are is that its just not true. There was a time when it was commonplace, but things have changed and, yes, the standards have gone through the roof. Most BAs - or really even some BFAs - dont offer anywhere near the necessary work in the classic repertoire nor on the voice and body to enable a reasonably talented young actor to be competitive in those venues. Nowadays, a lot of artistic directors at the better Regionals wont even give you the time of day without an MFA or a BFA from a small handful of conservatory programs. Rightly or wrongly, some dont even want conservatory BFAs except for juvenile roles. You will see some LORT slaves with BAs, but theyre usually relegated to second spear carrier or some such until they go back and get additional training.</p>
<p>Im not saying any of this to denigrate the BA degree. Its a perfectly legitimate way to go, but it does typically imply the need for additional training - usually the immersive kind - if youre talking about playing the classics in the major repertory companies. That is if youre not some kind of genius like a Ben Kingsley … </p>
<p>Of course, none of this accounts for celebrities from the TV and Film world who get stunt cast in straight plays on Broadway as a means of putting butts in the seats, either; but, I think weve all seen how that usually works out when they didnt originally come from a strong theatre background
Crucifixion, anyone? 
There are also some very good young straight actors playing contemporary roles on Broadway with BAs, but if youll look a little deeper, youll find that most came from entertainment families.</p>
<p>As for screen acting, its definitely more wide open, but my experience thus far is like Darlas in that the prestigious training does get you taken more seriously. There are varying schools of thought on that - especially in LA - so here are a couple of links to opinions showing the opposite extremes </p>
<p>[The</a> Casting Corner: October 25, 2004 Archives](<a href=“http://more.showfax.com/columns/corner/archives/2004_10_25.html]The”>http://more.showfax.com/columns/corner/archives/2004_10_25.html)
[The</a> Berg Studios: Showcase & Press](<a href=“http://www.thebergstudios.com/showcases.html]The”>http://www.thebergstudios.com/showcases.html)</p>
<p>My own case leads my opinion towards the latter. Remember that when you get signed by a good agency, it usually means someone else got dropped. The person I replaced at mine was a pretty big name when I was in high school, but she never took the appropriate steps to advance her craft past the teeny bopper stuff and wasnt booking anymore. As for the green part, I expressed some trepidation to a casting director before accepting my second SAG role last summer because it was going to condemn me to unionhood for life when I had very little on-camera experience. Theres no accounting for the smoke up the skirt factor, but what she told me was, They dont hire the young Harvard lawyer because he knows his way around the building. If that was all they wanted, theyd promote the janitor. </p>
<p>Just my perspective </p>